Toronto

Mauricio Alas (1977)

About me
I have lived in Toronto for most of my life and I am proud to be both of Salvadorean heritage and to be able to call this amazing city my home. I have travelled to numerous countries in Europe and Latin America and I have always found myself looking forward to coming back to Toronto at the end of my travels.

As a photographer, I have to see the world just slightly different. A practice that has luckily carried over from behind the lenses to my day to day life as it has given me a curiosity of not only wanting to meet new people as an event organizer but also as an urban explorer.

I run Toronto’s largest Spanish speaking language group and after 7 years, I never get tired of not only making new friends but helping my fellow Torontonians feel just a little bit more like they belong.

Toronto is a place where people from all over the world have found a home and have managed to retain their culture and learn from each other through the simple act of living together.

Even though my city is for all purposes a metropolis, it has somehow managed to maintain a small town mentality as a whole. This of course can be strange to think when you find yourself in the middle of downtown surrounded by a forest of glass towers reaching for the sky.

However it easy to find spots where you are suddenly transported to a small town where kids still play on the streets, find yourself lingering in front of world class art or in spirited markets, where they will casually close down car traffic, as if to say ’no rush, look around, you are our guest,’ Small stores where you can still purchase delicious fruit for cents on the dollar and ALL within walking distance.

My city invites newcomers with a multitude of culturally diverse festivals, exotic food and exciting opportunities to learn and expand their horizons. All you have to do is decide which adventure you want to do first. The choice is yours.